


you gotta know that you're one in a million

by SilverMoonSky



Series: ML Oneshots [67]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Mentions of Blood, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pre-Relationship, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27578708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky
Summary: Ladybug barely manages to choke out the words, but despite her weak tone, in an instant swarms of pink and red ladybugs are strongly flying through the city, curing all the damage. They upright the broken buildings. They cure the people who were hurt. They cure Ladybug, and now she’s looking at him with a grin as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn’t just dying moments before.She gets to her feet, grabs her yo-yo, and purifies the akuma in his hands. And once she’s done with that, Ladybug turns and gives him a soft smile. As if it were just any other day and she’s seeing him in passing.As if it were any other normal day.As if nothing had even happened.---Post-reveal pre-relationship, where Ladybug takes a hit for Chat Noir because she can't stand to see him get hurt.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: ML Oneshots [67]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643566
Comments: 28
Kudos: 198





	you gotta know that you're one in a million

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jamari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamari/gifts), [InkyCoffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyCoffee/gifts), [EnigmaticEllipsis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnigmaticEllipsis/gifts), [LambdaSoup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LambdaSoup/gifts).



> For these four lovely people based on the following prompt they came up with!
>
>> Post reveal pre relationship, Ladybug takes a hit for Chat Noir because she can't stand to see Adrien get hurt. He has to finish off the akuma alone, and then takes her home where he cares for her (domestic fluff!) and they finally get to talk. Bonus points for including the following items at least in passing: A hula hoop, a boat, a spork, and a jump rope.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this! Thank you, and I hope you all enjoy <3
> 
> Also a content warning for mentions of blood :)

Chat barely manages to snatch the spork from the akuma, break it in half, and reach forward to grasp the purple butterfly in his hands as it flutters free. He swivels around as soon as the akuma is safely in his grasp. He ignores the now-deakumatized victim, he ignores the reporters who were recording the fight along the banks of the Seine, and he ignores the shouting that follows as he leaps away from the scene.

He has to get to her.

He  _ has _ to get to her before it’s too late.

There’s a sense of urgency in his steps as he skids into the alleyway where Ladybug is. She’s leaning against a wall, clutching her side. Her breaths come out in short pants as she looks up.

“C-Chat,” she breathes, a small smile gracing her lips as she sees him.

“Ladybug,” Chat whispers. He rushes over and falls to his knees by her side. “The akuma’s been defeated. Here. Look. The akuma’s right here.” He shows his clasped hands to her. “You can throw the cure now.”

“W-What about. . . . the lucky c-charm?”

_ The jump rope. _

Chat looks around. He sees the red-and-black spotted jump rope laying on the ground several meters away. He quickly reaches over, picks it up, and hands it over to Ladybug before quickly clasping his hands back together to prevent the akuma from escaping.

“Throw the cure,” he says.

Ladybug’s eyes flutter slightly as she looks up at him. She’s barely managing to keep her eyes open. Chat’s eyes flit to her side, where one of her hands is pressed tight against an area rimmed with red. Suddenly, he feels nauseous.

_ She’s bleeding she’s bleeding she’s bleeding— _

“M-Miraculous Ladybug,” Chat says. His hands tremble at the sight of the blood. “Just throw the cure and say Miraculous Ladybug.”

Ladybug opens her mouth as if she’s about to say something, however, it only comes out as a shaky breath. Chat feels himself start to panic. He desperately wants to throw his arms around her and hold her, to gently urge her to say the words, but he can’t. He has to keep an eye on the akuma in his hands.

“Marinette, please,” Chat croaks. “You can do it, just—”

“M-Miraculous. . . . L-Ladybug.”

Ladybug barely manages to choke out the words, but despite her weak tone, in an instant swarms of pink and red ladybugs are strongly flying through the city, curing all the damage. They upright the broken buildings. They cure the people who were hurt. They cure  _ Ladybug, _ and now she’s looking at him with a grin as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn’t just dying moments before.

She gets to her feet, grabs her yo-yo, and purifies the akuma in his hands. And once she’s done with that, Ladybug turns and gives him a soft smile. As if it were just any other day and she’s seeing him in passing.

As if it were any other normal day.

As if nothing had even happened.

He doesn’t even know what to feel. The two of them simply stare at one another. Chat wants nothing more than to throw his arms around her and pull her into a tight embrace, to hold her tight and never let her go, and yet. . . .

“Did you talk to the victim yet?”

Irritation courses through him just thinking about it. “No.”

Ladybug frowns. “I hope they’re still there. I don’t want them to feel guilty for what happened.”

If Chat wasn’t sure what emotions he was feeling before, he definitely understands now.

He’s fuming as he takes a step back. His lips are pressed into a tight line and his fists are clenched at his sides. It’s as though nothing has happened. Ladybug’s talking with him, looking at him as though everything’s okay, everything’s alright, as though everything is  _ fine _ and she hadn’t just been  _ dying. . . . _

It’s an irrational thought. He  _ knows _ it is.

But really. So many people were hurt today. So many people were dying. And for what? Of  _ all _ things the victim could’ve been akumatized for, they were akumatized because of a  _ spork?  _ Because one such utensil exists?

Normally, Chat wouldn’t care. Normally, he would make a silly joke or two before going over to the victim and comforting them, to reassure them that it’s not their fault that this happened.

But a  _ spork. _ All of this over a  _ spork,  _ people were hurt because of a  _ spork,  _ and Ladybug. . . .

Chat takes a deep breath. He has to continue to remind himself that this isn’t the victim’s fault, that they were under Hawk Moth’s mind control and had no idea this would happen.

And yet, he feels dread rising within him at the very thought. Chat doesn’t know how many people were hit. He doesn’t know how many people had been lying somewhere, unconscious, bleeding, because of a spork, a spork,  _ a spork— _

She didn’t die. She didn’t die she didn’t die she didn’t die, but Chat saw the blood and saw her losing consciousness and at that moment he’d panicked, spiraling, but Ladybug told him to go fight the akuma and to not worry.

And so he did, but the entire time he was scared, so,  _ so _ scared he was losing her and that he wasn’t by her side, and should she have to take her last breath he wouldn’t even been able to tell her that he loves her—

Why did she jump in front of him?

Why did she take the hit for him?

Why didn’t she let him take the hit like he always does? Like he’s always supposed to?

He’s shaking. Chat barely manages to hold back tears as he stares at the girl in front of him, because all he can think about is how she shoved him aside and took the hit meant for him.

It was for him.

He was  _ supposed _ to take it.

So why didn’t she let him?

“Chat?” Ladybug asks. “Are you okay?”

“You can go comfort them,” he says, ignoring the question. He turns away so she wouldn’t see his face. “I’ll wait for you.”

If Ladybug notices his strange behavior, she pays no attention to it. “Okay. See you soon, kitty.”

She zips away, leaving Chat standing there with nothing but intrusive thoughts running through his head.

_ She could’ve died. _

He can’t think about anything else.

Standing in the alleyway, he detransforms. Adrien numbly reaches into his pocket and grabs Plagg camembert. For once his kwami doesn’t speak, instead simply taking the food offering and staying silent.

_ Marinette could’ve  _ died.

The longer he stands there, waiting, the more anger rises within him. It isn’t _fair._ She shouldn’t have taken that hit for him! It was for _him._ _He_ should’ve been the one that took it, _she_ should’ve been the one who wasn’t affected— 

The thought circles in his head over and over again. He’s in shock. He’s annoyed, he’s afraid.

But most of all, he’s angry. Angry in a way he’s never been before. Not the type that makes him want to punch a wall, not the type makes him want to scream, but the type that simmers silently at the back of his gut, waiting and waiting and waiting for the moment he’s able to let it all out—

Ladybug slips back into the alleyway several minutes later and detransforms back into Marinette. She smiles at him.

Adrien feels his fists clench at his sides.

_ She was dying she was dying she was dying and it’s all your fault—  _

“Sorry I took a while,” Marinette says breathlessly. “There was a boat filled with tourists on the Seine. It was nearly impossible to get back here without them spotting me..”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Marinette doesn’t make eye contact with him as she fumbles for food for TIkki in her purse. “Anyways, I talked to the victim. They seemed really upset.”

“Over what? A spork?” Adrien scoffs.

Marinette raises her eyebrows. “They were akumatized, Adrien. The akuma enhanced their negative emotions. It’s not their fault.”

He knows that. Rationally, Adrien knows that.

But he doesn’t want to believe it. It’s easier to blame something else,  _ someone _ else instead of him.

_ (It’s your fault though,  _ the voice in his head whispers.

It is. It is, it is, it is, but he doesn’t want to acknowledge it.)

“Anyways,” Marinette says when he doesn’t respond, “I. . . . I’m thinking I want to skip the rest of my classes for today.”

Adrien frowns. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am!” she exclaims, a bit too loudly. She flinches at her outburst and sheepishly smiles at him. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just, uh, tired, I guess.”

Adrien’s eyes widen. It’s then that he realizes he isn’t the only one that’s been shaken up by what happened. It’s clear that Marinette—the one who was hurt and bleeding in the first place, anyways—has also been affected.

Suddenly, he feels guilty. How didn’t he see it before? Marinette is never this subdued after an akuma fight. She’s never really felt the need to skip classes before, because she’s usually fine.

Only she’s not fine right now.

In an instant, Adrien shoves all his simmering anger to the side. It’s clear Marinette needs him for now. His feelings aren’t important for the time being; if she needs him, then he’ll put his feelings aside and try his best to help.

“Okay, you know what?” Adrien asks. “It’s not fair if you choose to skip classes and don’t even bother to ask for company.”

Marinette simply smiles at him. “And what if I don’t want company?”

“Of course you do.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right.” She reaches into her purse to pull out her phone. “Perhaps I’ll call Alya.”

Adrien pouts in mock sadness. “What, you’d rather have Alya ditch classes with you than me? Your  _ superhero _ partner?”

“Oh I’m sorry, are you implying that you  _ want _ to skip classes with me? I thought you were a  _ model student.” _

Adrien sputters. “That was a joke I said weeks ago!”

“But it’s true.” Marinette grins at him. “Mr. perfect angel model student, who’s a goodie-two shoes and always does all of this work and  _ never _ misses class—”

“I’m ditching class today just to prove you wrong.”

Marinette laughs. “Really though, I appreciate the offer, Adrien, but you don’t have to.”

“But I want to,” he insists. “We can do something fun together, like watch a movie or see who’s better at hula-hooping again!”

“Won’t you get in trouble for skipping classes, though?”

“I won’t if they don’t know.”

“Sneaky.”

Adrien grins. “I mean, we could always still go to class if you really want—”

“Nah,” Marinette says, “let’s just skip.”

He smiles, and, as the two of them walk out of the alleyway side by side, Adrien shoves his feelings aside for the time being.

They’ll have time to talk later, but for now, he’ll just try his best to be there for her.

* * *

Adrien and Marinette are sitting side by side on her chaise lounge about an hour later. After having walked back to the bakery, Tom and Sabine are both surprised to see they were out of school. However, it wasn’t hard to explain that they’re shaken up by the akuma and need some time to rest. Once Marinette’s parents realize that, the two of them are all too willing to let them spend the rest of their afternoon in Marinette’s room.

It isn’t too hard to figure out what Marinette needs. Adrien manages to get some pastries from her parents, and now, the two of them are curled up on her chaise lounge with a blanket encompassing them. They’ve moved it so it’s in front of her desk. A movie plays on the computer in front of them. Marinette’s head rests on his shoulder, and Adrien strokes her hair absentmindedly as they watch the movie.

She’s calmer now, he can tell. Adrien’s not exactly sure what’s going through her mind—a close-to-dying experience is  _ definitely _ not pleasant—but Marinette’s definitely more relaxed than she was before.

And him?

Well, not really.

Adrien’s not really watching the movie. His mind is too scattered; there are way too many thoughts running through his head to be paying attention to it.

He still doesn’t  _ understand. _

The more he thinks about it, the more it’s harder to control his emotions. The more he recalls each and every memory, over and over again, the more he feels tears welling in his eyes and his body going rigid.

_ Dying. _

Once the image is back in his head, it doesn’t leave. Adrien’s starkly reminded of the fact that if he wasn’t able to defeat the akuma earlier, the girl beside him may not even  _ be _ here anymore.

It’s that thought that makes him stop in his tracks. It’s that thought that makes him stop focusing on the positives like he had been earlier, and, as he sits there, he’s filled with dread.

_ She was dying dying dying bleeding bleeding bleeding all because she took the hit meant for him—  _

“Adrien?” Marinette asks. “Are you okay?”

He’s rigid. He’s frozen.

_ No. _

No, he’s not okay.

But he smiles and shakes his head. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“I’m _fine,”_ he insists.  
Marinette snorts. She reaches over and pauses the movie in front of them, before turning towards him. “Clearly you’re not. I know you too well. What’s wrong?”

_ She was dying, dying, telling him to leave and defeat the akuma but he couldn’t bear to leave her—  _

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s clearly not nothing, Adrien.”

Adrien’s silent, his fists clenching underneath the blanket where she can’t see them. The simmering anger is back, and yet. . . .

_ Blood, so,  _ so _ much blood—  _

Marinette’s gaze softens. She lets out a sigh. “I’m not going to pry if you don’t want me too. But if this is about the akuma. . . .”

That’s all he needs to hear. “Why did you take that hit for me?”

“What?”

“The akuma. Why did you jump in front of me?”

Marinette’s eyes widen in surprise, as if she’s confused he’s asking the question. “Because it was about to hit you?”

Adrien frowns. Does she not understand that  _ he’s _ the one who has to take hits? “It was  _ supposed _ to hit me. You were supposed to let it.”

“What? Why would I—”

“You were  _ dying,  _ Marinette!” Suddenly, Adrien’s self-control is gone. All he can think about is the fact that she was  _ dying.  _ His partner, his best friend, the love of his life, she’d been  _ dying _ and it was all his fault.

The hit was for  _ him. _

_ Him. _

She was never supposed to take it.

“Adrien—”

“You were dying! You were dying and you were losing blood and y-you—you just—”

“Adrien,” Marinette says, “please don’t cry.”

He doesn’t even realize tears had been welling in his eyes, but once Marinette says those words, they come running down his cheeks in rivulets. He doesn’t bother to wipe them away. The memory of what happened flickers through his head, continues to replay the moment over and over again, and all he can think about is. . . .

“You were  _ dying,” _ Adrien croaks for what feels like the hundredth time. “You—”

His words catch in his throat as Marinette suddenly wraps her arms around him, pulling him closer. In an instant Adrien melts into her embrace, never wanting to let her go as he shakes with sobs.

_ She was dying there was blood she was dying— _

“Breathe in,” Marinette whispers, rubbing circles on his back. “breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. . . .”

This time, it’s Marinette’s turn to take care of him. She holds him. She lets him cry, she cries with him, and it’s only when both of their tears have dried up that the two of them finally look at each other.

Marinette breaks the silence first.

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” she whispers. “But I can’t stand to see you get hurt.”

Adrien sniffs and shuffles away from her embrace. “But why? It’s my  _ job _ to take hits for you.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You’re the one that needs to purify the akuma in the end,” he says, “and you’re the one that needs to throw the cure.”

“None of that matters.”

“It does.”

“You’re not less important than I am, Adrien.”

He looks up at her in surprise. Marinette staring at him, her bottom lip trembling as she stares back at him.

“You aren’t any less important than I am. It’s not your  _ job _ to take hits for me.”

“But in battle, I—”

_ “No, _ Adrien,” Marinette says, and suddenly there’s moisture welling in her eyes all over again. “You’ve valuable. You’re important. You  _ matter.” _

Adrien’s heart leaps. He didn’t mean to make her cry. The last thing he wants to do is make her cry. “Marinette—”

“I can’t stand to see you get hurt. That’s why I took the hit for you. And before you retaliate,” she says before he has a chance to interject, “I-I did it because I love you, Adrien.”

Adrien sharply intakes a breath.

_ What? _

Did she just say—

Marinette bites her lip and looks down, not making eye contact. “And I really really do love you,” she continues, rambling onwards. “I love you more than a friend because you’ve always  _ been _ more than a friend to me, you’ve always been my partner and it took me so long to realize that the two boys I loved were one and the same but once I did see it. . . .

“It’s you,” she whispers softly. “It’s always been you.”

Adrien stares at her in shock. He can’t believe this is happening. Marinette,  _ Marinette,  _ the girl he’s been in love with since the day they first met, she’s in  _ love _ with him, and he?

_ He loves her too. _

“You don’t have to like me back!” Marinette blurts out, a bright blush suddenly breaking out on her cheeks when he doesn’t respond. “Definitely not! I just—I just thought—”

“I love you too.”

This time, it’s Marinette’s turn to look up at him in shock. She looks up and stares at him in surprise, as if she’d never considered the possibility.

After hearing her confession, it’s easy to let the words tumble out of his mouth. “You’ve been the girl I’ve been in love with since the day we first met,” Adrien murmurs. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I—” Marinette pauses. “I. . . . did not see today being the day I confessed my feelings to you,” she says sheepishly.

“Yeah,” Adrien says with a laugh, recalling how they got here in the first place. “So I guess this is a good place to say that I can’t promise I won’t ever take hits for you.”

“Great, then neither can I,” she declares, and when he raises his eyebrows, she looks back at him with a high-held, competitive gaze.

“Mari—”

“No,” she says.

Adrien sighs in defeat, and in an instant, their fun-loving atmosphere shatters. He recalls the memories from today, and feels his heart sink.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” he whispers.

Marinette gives him a soft smile. “And I don’t want to see you get hurt either, but we’re superheroes. This will always happen, regardless of how we try to shield the other.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“You and me against the world, right?” Marinette asks as she reaches over to lace her fingers with his.

Adrien smiles back at her. Because it’s the truth. They both will always continue to look out for each other, because that’s just the way it is. It’s always been that way, it always will be that way.

And now that they both know they  _ love _ one another. . . . well.

The bond between them is just all the more stronger.

“Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at titles, so the title comes from [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA41_pkBL50), which is the song I was looping when I was writing this :P
> 
> Join the [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) if you’re a writer, reader, or artist! It’s a lovely community filled with even lovelier people <3


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